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Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa called on Monday for the defense of the roads that are blockaded by opposition demonstrators from his Twitter account, as the indigenous-led Conaie coalition began their march toward the capital to join an August 13th general strike.
“The past of strikes, stones, blocked roads, will not come back! Everyone to the streets to defend our roads, our progress, which has cost us so much to do,” he wrote on Twitter Monday afternoon.
“They do not have the support, nor the legality, nor the legitimacy to destabilize one of the most popular (Ecuadorean) governments of history. That’s why they resort to violence and try to create financial terror,” he said.
“We will reply with more work and love of the homeland, but everyone go demonstrate democratically that we reject the ones that always have been (leading). We are more, many more!”
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¡El pasado de paros, piedras, caminos bloqueados, no volverá! Tod@s a defender nuestras carreteras, las obras que nos ha costado tanto hacer
— Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael)
agosto 3, 2015
“The past of strikes, stones, blocked roads, will not come back! Everyone to the streets to defend our roads, our progress, which has cost us so much.”
RELATED: 6 Key Points About the Opposition Protests in Ecuador
Despite government overtures to reach out to different sectors of Ecuadorean society, on Sunday, hundreds of indigenous Ecuadoreans led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, known by the acronym Conaie, started a march from El Pangui toward the capital — some 600 kilometers — to participate in the Aug. 13 general strike against the government of President Rafael Correa.
During the march, AFP reported that indigenous protesters blocked roads, while others could be heard shouting, “Out, Correa, Out!,” a common refrain of the right-wing and upper-class opposition demonstrators who initiated a wave of anti-government protests in June.
Those demonstrations, ostensibly about tax reforms for the super-rich, often turned violent, despite Correa’s suspension of the laws pending a national debate on wealth redistribution. “They have the right to march, not to paralyze the country,” said Rafael Correa, referring to the most recent protests called by Conaie.
Conaie President Jorge Herrera told the press, “We do not need to sit down again to analyze our demands. We have had enough time to do this, and to debate, but we are insisting on marching. At this point, our organization in the Conaie assembly has said no to the dialogue.” Conaie has called for an “indigenous uprising” in support of the national strike, but it has proven controversial among many indigenous groups.
RELATED: Indigenous Groups Reject Conaie Uprising Against Rafael Correa
The strike will include factions that have traditionally been opposed to indigenous rights, like right-wing organizations, business and upper class sectors, who strongly reject the recent redistribution bills on inheritance.
On Monday, Correa ended his tweets by criticizing members of the Ecuadorean business class and praising examples of social justice entrepreneurs around the world.
Giving the example of Turkish entrepreneur, Correa mentioned, Nevzat Aydin, who sold his company and offered his former employees the benefits of the sale – about $200,000 each, because he felt they deserved it.
The government has said that the planned strike on Aug. 13 is “illegal,” and aims to take down the democratically elected president.
While Conaie insists that marching in the streets is the only way to make their demands heard, a number of other indigenous organizations have questioned their motives for marching in alliance with right-wing factions.
"Everyone needs to know that Conaie is not the only indigenous voice in the country,” Franklin Columba, leader of the National Confederation of Campesino, Indigenous and Black Organizations (Fenocin) told teleSUR English. “We as a national organization are not going to lend ourselves to playing the right's game."
The situation is increasingly tense in Ecuador, as two leaflet bombs were detonated close to two different newspapers last week, including one affiliated with the government, prompting President Correa to denounce the bombs as part of a wider strategy to destabilize the country.
RELATED: Divided Indigenous Group Calls for National Strike in Ecuador
